Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 262: Divine Elements: Organizing Life & Home with Nakeya Divine

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Nakeya Divine with Divine Elements of Design a good neighbor?

What happens when military precision meets interior design creativity? Nakeya Divine of Divine Elements of Design reveals the fascinating journey that took her from eight years of military service to becoming a sought-after design influencer with over 20 years in the industry.

Driven by a passion for creating beautiful, organized spaces even during her deployment years, Nakeya shares how that personal commitment evolved into a certified interior design career serving the DFW Metroplex since 2005. Her philosophy challenges common misconceptions about design, particularly the notion that DIY always saves money. "I cannot afford to do it cheaper," she explains, "because anytime I skimp on something, I have to rebuy it." This practical wisdom about investing in quality resonates with anyone who's experienced the frustration of replacing budget items repeatedly.

Most compelling is Nakeya's evolution from full-service designer to design influencer, sharing organizational strategies and home beautification tips through her YouTube channel, social media platforms, and blog. Her approach particularly speaks to busy professionals balancing careers and families. With two "batches" of children spanning from 27 to 5 years old, she understands firsthand the challenges of maintaining beautiful spaces amid life's demands. Her practical time-management techniques—like breaking overwhelming projects into 25-minute segments and prioritizing ruthlessly—offer listeners actionable strategies they can implement immediately. As Nakeya wisely puts it, "You don't have to do it all; you just have to prioritize what you're going to do."

Discover more of Nakeya's organizational tips, home decor ideas, and life strategies at decoratorsvoice.com/my-links or by searching "divine elements of design" on any social platform. Subscribe to the Good Neighbor Podcast to hear more inspiring stories from local business owners transforming their communities.

To learn more about Divine Elements of Design go to:

https://decoratorsvoice.com/my-links/

Divine Elements of Design

214-843-3581

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of an interior design influencer? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Nikia Devine, with Divine Elements of Design. Nikia, how are you today? I'm fine. Thank you for asking Great. Well, we are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us just a bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

Yes, I started my company about literally 20 years ago. It started in 2005 because I love interior design and I love making things beautiful and organized. So I started my company, I became a certified interior designer and I took on a lot of really good and fun projects around the DFW Metroplex. I love my clients. I love everything about it, I love shopping for them and making their spaces beautiful and I have a saying. You know you want to have a company ready home at all time, but I'm not trying to have you look like a Stepford wife, but you just want to have some key things that you can do to make sure that your home is company ready.

Speaker 2:

Amazing, and so Nikia, originally. How did you get into this business?

Speaker 3:

So a lot of people don't know this, but I was in the military. I served in the military for eight years and I traveled around the countries. I went on deployments, but I always made sure my home was beautiful and it was a reflection of me and when I came home it was just something that was comfortable and beautiful and relaxing if I was there for a weekend or if it was there for a long time. So I just always wanted to make sure that my home was beautiful and I had. So many people would ask me hey, can you help me and can you show me some of the things that you've done to just beautify your home and your space and have time to do different things? So I just created a career out of a love and a passion that I had.

Speaker 2:

Wow, well, thank you so much for your time in the service, nakia. Let's go ahead and jump into the most common myth or misconception you typically come across in your industry.

Speaker 3:

There are a few. A lot of times people think they don't need an interior designer. They want to do it yourself, and you really can. But a lot of times I tell people it takes some time someone from the outside looking in to show you something or show you a different perspective of something that you had no idea. So with interior design, you can hire an interior designer to just do a full-blown design for you, or you can even just get a consultation. And another thing that I always tell people yes, someone can also do it cheaper. And I always say I cannot afford to do it cheaper, because anytime I skimp on something, something happens and I have to rebuy it. So instead of purchasing something of value, if you purchase something of lesser grade and you have to keep repurchasing it and repurchasing it, it would have been better to just buy something of better grade to begin with, and you would actually save money in the long run.

Speaker 2:

I completely agree with you and Nikia. Let's get into things a bit more, Since you are very selective on the products that you use when it comes to interior designing. Who are your target clients and, in terms of marketing, how do you attract them?

Speaker 3:

track them. So right now I'm no longer doing full blown interior design. I'm actually concentrating on my YouTube, my social media and being a design influencer, so I am giving people the information of how they can do things themselves with just my assistance. So my idea client is really a working mom, a working adult. She doesn't have to be a mom. I think those are more of the clients that I have. A lot of people look at me and wonder like how can I do it all? I have children, I have a business and I still have time to binge watch some of my favorite shows. So there's a lot of strategies and tips that I also share on my blog, on my podcast or my YouTube channel. So my client audience is basically just a professional woman that wants to try to have it all and just need a little help.

Speaker 2:

Can you share a couple of those tips with our audience here today?

Speaker 3:

share a couple of those tips with our audience here today. So I am a planner. That is one of the things I have to do. I have to have strategies, I have to have cheat codes. I have to have these things.

Speaker 3:

So a lot of people use various devices, whether it's apps, whether it's alerts on their phone, but for me, I'm a paper planner and I just sit down and I actually paper plan everything from my organizing my home. I have a declutter challenge that I have online and also in my Instagram, and that's basically it. I just have to strategize and determine what things need to be taken care of first and then I prioritize it. So I always say if it's not written down, if it's not prioritized, it's not going to get done. So that's my thing.

Speaker 3:

They talk about having a balance, but sometimes that balance is just actually deciding what you can do. So sometimes people think you have to do it all. No, you don't have to do it all, you just have to prioritize what you're going to do. So in my planner and then in my life, I just say you know, you have to eat that live frog first thing in the morning. So you eat that live frog first thing in the morning and everything else is easy.

Speaker 3:

So that's one of the things that I always say Just get it planned, get it organized, and you have to be patient with yourself. Even if it's a small project like cleaning out your closet, if it's so overwhelming you put off on doing it, you don't do it. But if you tell yourself, okay, I'm only going to spend 25 minutes today working on my closet, or 25 minutes today organizing something or decluttering, once you start and get that 25 minutes worth of work done, it is done and then you can set another timer for another day for another 25 minutes. But a lot of times we look at the big picture and we become overwhelmed and we don't do it.

Speaker 2:

Let's go ahead and switch gears for a second. Can you describe a hardship or life challenge you overcame and how it made you better and stronger today? What comes to mind for you, Nakia?

Speaker 3:

So I always tell people that I have two batches of children. I have my boys that are 27 and 19, and then my girls that are eight and five. So for me, starting over with that second batch, while I was working full time, I was working my business. I had to basically readjust my whole life and, of course, covid came into play and it was just so many things, and that was one of the reasons why I decided to take a shift from full-blown interior design and reorganize my business to what I'm doing now. So I'm still fulfilling the need of so many people, still giving them the information that they need, helping them try to do things themselves, but maybe just having consultations and different things like that. So that was a big adjustment, coming from having almost grown children to now being a mom to two little children and trying to make everything work.

Speaker 2:

So, nakia, what was the biggest thing that got you through that challenging time?

Speaker 3:

Having me time and understanding that I don't have to do everything, and celebrating the small wins. Celebrating the small wins actually help you to appreciate the small things and then you can work towards bigger things.

Speaker 2:

I agree with you 100%, Nikia. Go ahead and tell our listeners one thing they should remember about divine elements of design.

Speaker 3:

So the one thing is for divine elements of design. I share organizational tips, home decor ideas and life strategies to help you live an organized life and home.

Speaker 2:

And where can our listeners go to learn more about divine elements of design?

Speaker 3:

I am basically everywhere, but it's the place to find everything would be decoratorsvoicecom. Slash my dash links and you can find all of my sites, but I'm basically divine elements of design everywhere.

Speaker 2:

Well, Nakia, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom. Or call 469-221-9345. 9, 3, 4, 5.